Method of erecting enclosures



J. A. POTCHEN ET AL 2,893,075

METHOD OF EREC'IING ENCLOSURES July 7, 71959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1955 %N O E .r TH NC ETO VO NPK I rl- F. MG R 30 E JG ATTORNEY y 1959 J. A. POTCHEN ET AL 2,893,075

' METHOD OF ERECTING ENCLOSURES Filed March 21, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F IG. 8 INVENTORS JOSEPH A. POTCHEN GEORGE E. KLOOTE ATTORNEY y 7, 1959 J. A. POTCHEN ET AL 2,893,075

METHOD OF ERECTING ENCLOSURES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 21, 1955 FIG. IO"

15 5 all 2 3 4 I .F 5 \5 W m \m I m INVENTORS 'JOSEPHA.POTCHEN GEORGE E.KLOOTE ATTORNEY United States Patent METHOD OF ERECTING ENCLOSURES Joseph 'A. Potchen, Marne, and George E. Kloote, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New York Application March 21, 1955 Serial No. 495,404

7 Claims. (CI. 20-74) This invention relates to our co-pending application entitled combination door and frame, Serial No. 418,386, filed March 24, 1954, and'now Patent 2,778,766, issued January 22, 1957. In that application there was disclosed the method of making a combination door and frame which included fabricating a panel and then severing the inner portion of the panel from the peripheral portion to create both the door and the frame in a single operation. This invention is an extension of this method, in part made possible by the development of new construction materials of the type disclosed in co-pending applications Serial No. 479,498, entitled, Method of Making Laminated Panels, filed January 3, 1955, now abandoned, and

Serial No. 484,948, entitled, Improvement in Enclosures for Refrigerated Areas, filed January 31, 1955, in both of which applications the inventors are George E. Kloote, George D. Meier and Joseph A. Potchen.

This invention extends this concept to the erection of enclosures 'of various types in which the enclosure is initially erected without provision of openings for doors, windows or other passages normally required. This invention is applicable to all types of enclosures from the erection of thermal insulating linings for refrigerated vaults to the building of truck bodies, houses and factories.

This invention provides a new concept of construction equally applicable to conventional construction methods in which the materials for the structure are cut and fitted at the erection site and to the more recently introduced method of pre-fabrication in which the materials are brought to the site pre-cut and fitted ready for erection.

Application of this invention saves considerable time. It is unnecessary to plan in minute detail the location and structural details around each opening. This is possible since the openings are created after the enclosure has been erected and any adjustments found to be desirable during the erection of the enclosure, such as the position or size of the openings, may be made up until the actual cutting .of theopening. Thus, costly errors which sometimes occur by reason of incomplete or inaccurate planning are eliminated.

The application of this invention saves time and money because all of the special framing normally used around openings such as windows and doors is eliminated. This saves material and it saves appreciably on labor costs because the erection of this special framing is a tedious and time-consuming procdure.

This invention is particularly applicable to the new type 'of building materials in which the panel cores as well as the facings are fabricated solely from synthetic resin materials.

These and other objects and purposes of this invention will be immediately seen by those acquainted with the construction trade upon reading the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an oblique, exploded view of an enclosure illustrating the removal of portions of the enclosure to provide a window and a door opening.

' cut.

Fig. 2 is an oblique, exploded view of a building showing the application of this invention to the creation of openings in a roof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, exploded view of the first step in framing an opening.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the plane IVIV of Fig. 3 showing the opening after assembly of the frame structure suggested in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an oblique, fragmentary, exploded view illustrating the second step in framing an opening.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the plane VIVI of Fig. 5 showing the opening after assembly of the frame structure suggested in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, elevation view of a door built and installed according to the method of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the plane VIII--VIII of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, oblique, exploded view of the preparation for installation of'reinforcements inthe edge of a door preparatory to the mounting of hardware.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the plane XX of Fig. 8 showing a modified method of installing the door hinges.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary, sectional view through the top sash of a double hung sash installed according to the teachings of this invention.

In practicing this invention, we execute the method of erecting an enclosure which consists of erecting the walls and whatever additional structure is desired such as the ceiling or roof. After these have been erected, the desired openings for windows, doors, chimneys and plumbing are created by cutting these openings in the erected walls or other panel structures. After the openings have been cut, the exposed edges of the openings are enclosed by suitable members. These members are applied by means of adhesives. In the case of doors, the panel removed to create the opening is trimmed to size and provided with suitable edging structure to enclose and protect the inerior of the panel exposed by the cutting. This panel is then used as the door, closing the opening from which it was removed. Thus, waste of large quantities of material is eliminated since substantially all of it is utilized. The method of this invention is designed to be applied primarily to building materials made from synthetic resins. These are easily cut and are adapted to joining by adhesives. It is contemplated that, except for the attachment of hardware and similar items, adhesives will be used throughout in place of the more conventional mechanical fasteners.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates an enclosure having front and back walls 11 and 12 respectively and end walls 13 and 14. V The panels forming the enclosure are placed in location and joined in any suitable way by means of suitable adhesives. Various ways in which these panels may be joined are illustrated and described in our copending application Serial No. 484,948, entitled, Improvement in Enclosures for Refrigerated Areas, filed January 31, 1955. While joinder of these panels by means of adhesives is a method particularly adapted to this type of building material, it will be recognized that various types of mechanical fasteners may be used. This invention is not to be considered as limited by the method or means used to join the panels.

After the wall panels 11, 12, 13 and 14 have been erected, the desired openings for windows and doors are In the case of the door opening 15, starting at one edge, a three sided cut is made entirely through the panel, entirely severing from the structure a rectangular slab 16. In the case of the window opening 17, a four sidedcut 'is made entirely severing a rectangular block 18. In

both cases the severed slab is removed.

re coated with a suitable adhesive.

"In the-erection of the enclosure 10, it is' contemplated that the materials of the type disclosed in our co-pending application Serial No. 479,498, entitled, Method of Making Laminated Panels, filed January 3, 1955, now abandoned, will be utilized. These materials consist of a rigid, lowdensity, core material covered on oneor both faces with a high density, reinforced, synthetic resin. As an example of such a panel, the core may consist of an expanded polystyrene and the facing sheets may consist of a high density, polyester resin reinforced with woven, filamentary glass. The facing sheets are rigidly bonded to the cone to form a strong, structural sandwich. If desired, other types of facing materials such as plywood or aluminum may be substituted on one or both faces. These-materials are bonded together by a syntheticresin adhesive such as an epoxy resin to form a rigid structural laminated panel. The scope of this invention is not to be considered as limited to panels of the particular resins or other materials recited. The method of this invention may be practiced with any material adapted to severance by sawing or routing or similar cutting methods and particularly to structural materials which largely or completely eliminate the necessity for conventional, support framing.

Panels' of this type may be cut readily by means of 'eithera saw or'a router. Either of these tools will quickly and neatly sever the door slab 16 or window slab 18 from the structures'walls to provide the desired openings.

Fig. 2 illustrates the same invention applied to the roof of a building where a similar cutting operation is used to remove from the roof a slab 19 leaving an opening 20 sintable for the erection of a chimney. A circular opening 21 may be provided by removing the disc-like slab '22. Such an opening might be desired for the installation of ventpipes or similar equipment. This is entirely possible because panels of the type described consisting of synthetic resins are as equally adaptable to the fabrication of roof structures as to the fabrication of wall structures.

The steps taken in the application of this method to 'the formation of window and door openings are quite similar. "For purposes of illustrating the application of this method, the completion of a door opening will be described. It will be understood that in making this description the same method could be applied to the formation of a window opening except for the slight modifications made necessary by the difference in the structural characteristics of windows and doors.

ing of the door is to cover the cut edge of the panel with a lining strip 25. The lining strip 25 consists of a strip of sheet-like-ma'terial, preferably of a high density, synthetic resin reinforced with fibers suchas filamentary glass. The liningstrip may consist of a single piece bent into a U-shape to fit the door opening or it may consist of three separate pieces, whichever it is easiest and most practical to install;

To install the liningstrip'25, the'exp'osed edges of the panel or the outerface of the lining strip 25, orboth, It has been found that-fa synthetic resin adhesive such as one containing basically anepo x' resin works very satisfactorily. The lining strip is then pressed against the edge of "the enclosure panelan'd allowed to" remain until theadhe'sive has hardened. care should be taken in mounting the lining strip 25 to be sure that it intimately bo'nd's'to the edge of the panel, includingboth the facing sheets 26 and the core 27 as illustrated in-Figl 4.

After the liningstrip 25 has'been installed, the channel assembly -28i's installed; The elements of the channel assembly are -U-'shapedc hannelsections preferably of a 'highdensity, synthetic resin such as a polyester resin reinforced with a fibrous material such as filamentary glass. These U-shaped channelsectionshave an interior opening just large enough to receive the panel and permit the sides of the channel to seat against the faces of the panel as illustrated in Fig. 6. The frame assembly 28 consists of three pieces, a pair of side channels 30 and 30a and a header piece 31. The side channel 30 has a pair of cut-outs 32 for reception of the door hinges. These cut-outs 32 are made only in cases where flush type hinges are to be utilized.

In many types of enclosures, such as those for refrigerated rooms, trucks and box cars, exposed hinges are used and it is unnecessary to provide the cut-outs 32. In those cases where surface hinges are used, the liner may be omitted since it will be unnecessary to provide a backing surface for the hinges. The same is true in the case of the hereinafter described lock structure. Even where flush type hinges are used, local reinforcement members of the type described in our co-pending application entitled, Method and Means for Securing Fasteners to Low Density Core Panels, Serial No. 485,228, filed January 31, 1955, may be used. In this case the lining strip 25 may be omitted. The cut-outs 32 are just deep enoughto receive the hinge and expose the liner 25 when the frame channel 30 has been installed. These cut-outs may be made either before or after installation. They are, however,- moreeasily made before the channels are installed because of the difficulty of removing the material forming the cut-out due to its being bonded to the liner 25.

The door 34 is formed in much the same way as the frame. The slab 16 is, if necessary, trimmed down slightly to provide the necessary space for the installation of the edging frame on both the enclosure walls and the edge of the door. On the hinge edge of the door, a liner strip 35, similar to the liner 25 is applied by an adhesive to the edge of the door panel 16. The entire door is surrounded by channel sections 36 similar to the channel pieces used for the channel assembly 28. Cut-outs 37 are made in the channel 36 on the hinge side similar to the cut-outs 32 to permit flush installation of the hinges 38.

It has been found that satisfactory anchorage of screws may be provided by threading them directly into the high density, reinforced synthetic resin strip such as is provided by the liner strips 25 and 35. If desired, additional reinforcement may be provided in both the walls of the structure and in the door. Such a reinforcement is suggested in Fig. 10. In this case, before the liner 35 is installed, a U-shaped reinforcement clip 40 of the same material as the channel sections 36 is first inserted into the panel. To mount the U-shaped clip, a cut-out is made to receive the web of the clip and two slots are formed to receive the legs 41 of the clip. Either the legs of the reinforcement clip 40 are coated with a suitable adhesive or the adhesive is introduced into the slots and then the legs of the clip are inserted into the panel. The clip 40 and the strip 35 then act as a means of anchoring the screws installing the hinges 38. It will be understood that various other ways of reinforcing the panel may be provided. This method of reinforcing the panel is illustrated in our above mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 485,228.

Additional clips 40 may be used on the latch side of the door to provide reinforcement around the installation of the latch hardware. The latch hardware 43 may be installed after installation of the reinforcement clips 40 and the edge channel section 36 in much the same way asthey would be installed on doors of more conventional material such as Wood. A cut-out 44 is made in the channel 3% for reception of the strike plate. A cut-out is also made through the liner 25 into the core section 27 of the wall panel for reception of the latch receiving well behind the strike plate 45. The strike plateis installed by means of screws which anchor into the liner .25. i

The method of installing the reinforcement clips 40, particularly where the latch assembly is applied, is illustrated in Fig. 9. It will be seen here that slots 46 are formed in the door panel by suitable means such as by routing. These slots extend through the edge channel 36, the facing sheet of the door panel into the core. It is possible to install the clips 40 either by applying adhesive to their legs or by applying a highly viscous adhesive to the slots 46 and then pressing the clips 40 into place. The latter method is considered preferable because it assures complete occupation by the adhesive of the area between the clip and the sides of the opening 46. It will be seen that this method of reinforcement provides a particularly strong installation as-is clearly described in the above mentioned application Serial No. 485,228.

Fig. 11 illustrates the installation of a typical window frame and sash assembly. Assuming the slab 18 to have been removed to create the opening 17, the edges of the opening 17 are first covered with a liner strip 50 similar to the liner strip 25 used for the door opening. The liner strip 50 is adhesively bonded to the exposed edge of the panels. The liner strip 50 and the edges of the opening are then reinforced by U-shaped channel sections 51 of material similar to that used for the channels 30 and 36. These are adhesively bonded into place by the same type of adhesives used for installation of the door frame. The window opening should be out large enough to leave sufiicient room for installation of the liner 50 and the channel 51 and of a window frame of standard dimensions. The entire window frame assembly, which in this case is illustrated as consisting of a lower sash 52, an upper sash 55 and the side frame members 53. The complete window assembly is placed in the opening and secured by means of screws 54. The screws 54 threadedly engage the channels 51 and liners 50. It will be recognized that while the installation is shown as exposing the heads of the screws, these screws may be concealed if the design of the window frame permits. This invention permits any type of window construction to be installed, including double hung windows, casement windows, jalousie type windows and socalled picture windows. Instead of Windows, various types of louvered, ventilating panels may be installed.

While this method of erection of buildings has been described as primarily applied to windows and doors, it will be understood that suitable openings may be made by means of this invention to meet any requirement in building construction. The exact location of the open ings can be made at the time of erection and even after the building has been substantially completed. This provides almost complete adaptability of the structure to changes in requirements as the structure is being erected. It also eliminates the necessity for detailed drawings and architectural plans locating the various openings. This can represent a great saving in time and materials, particularly where it involves such installations as plumbing, area ways and heating and ventilating ducts. This type of structural modification has not heretofore been possible. Since panels of the type which it is contemplated to use in connection with this invention are themselves structural, the particular location of cut-outs does not adversely affect the overall strength of the structure unless the cut-outs involve excessive areas. There are no problems such as occur when it is necessary to cut through structural beams in conventional construction.

This invention provides a rapid and economical method of erecting structures and of adapting them to particular requirements. It is particularly useful where the material is being used for lining existing buildings and structures where it is necessary to make the openings conform to existing apertures in the shell structure. It completely eliminates the necessity for development of detailed plans or careful pre-fabrication under such circumstances.

While only one particular arrangement for framing the openings has been illustrated, it will be recognized that numerous modifications of this arrangement can be employed. Each of these, however, will employ the method of erecting the structure first and then cutting the required openings in the desired places. It will also involve, wherever feasible, the use of the slab removed in making the opening as the closure means for that same opening. Accordingly, this invention is not to be considered as limited to the type and style of framing illustrated and described provided the methods disclosed by this invention are employed.

It will also be recognized that while this invention has been described as applied to the creation of windows and doorsit may be applied more broadly. As an example, an entire dwelling or olfice building, including both interior as well as exterior walls, may be erected with these panels and, after erection, the openings cut not only for the doors and windows but also for such utilities as heating and ventilating ducts, plumbing, heating pipes, electrical conduits, stairways, recessed equipment such as refrigerators, dressers and fireplaces. In ofiice and factories such openings may be made for conveying or intercommunication equipment. Further, if at a later date it is desired to close one of these openings, it is merely necessary to provide a slab of the correct size and shape and to bond it into the opening by means of a suitable adhesive.

It will be recognized that other modifications of this invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof. Each of these modifications is to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise.

We claim:

1. In a method of erecting structures, the steps which include erecting a wall by adhesively joining a plurality of laminated panels having a low density synthetic resin core and facing sheets adhesively bonded to the sides of said core, cutting entirely through at least one of said panels along a line to entirely sever at least one slab therefrom and form an opening therein, adhesively securing a reinforcement member to and covering the edges of said panel exposed by said cutting, reinforcing said reinforcement member by adhesively securing thereto a channel member having a web portion and depending leg portions, the web portion being adhesively secured to said reinforcement member and the inside surfaces of said leg members being adhesively secured to said facing sheets, and thereafter installing the said severed slab as a closure member in said opening.

2. In a method of erecting structures in accordance with claim 1, the additional steps of trimming at least one end surface of said severed slab, adhesively securing a reinforcing sheet to said trimmed surface so as to cover the same, and reinforcing the said reinforcing sheet by adhesively securing thereto a U-shaped member, the legs of which overlie and are adhesively secured to the said facing sheets adjacent to the said severed edges thereof.

3. A method of erecting structures in accordance with claim 1 including the steps of providing at least one aperture in at least one of said channel members overlying said reinforcement member.

4. A method of erecting structures in accordance with claim 1 including the steps of forming at least one pair of spaced slots in at least one leg portion of at least one channel member, said slots extending through said facing sheets and partially through said core and adhesively securing a U-shaped clip in said slots, the leg portions of said U-shaped clip being adhesively secured to said core, to said facing sheet, and to the leg portions of said reinforcement member.

5. In the method of erecting structures, the steps which include providing a plurality of laminated rigid panels having a low density synthetic resin core and higher density facingsheets adhesively bonded to said core and each characterized, bynnifo'rrnityofstrength and structure, adhesively joining said panels to form walls, adhesively joining said walls to form a rigid shell characterized by substantial uniformity of strength throughout its entire area, Cutting entirely through at least oneof said walls along a line to entirely sever a slabfrom said wall, said line of severance beingselected without respect to interaction with any of said adhesively bonded joints, adhesively securing a reinforcing sheet to the edge surfaces of said panels exposed by the severing of said slab therefrom, and thereafter adhesively overlaying said cover sheet with a U-shaped reinforcement member, the bight portion of said U-shaped member being in contact With said cover sheet and the legportions thereof overlying and being in contact with said facing sheets in the area adjacent to the edges formed by the severing of said slab therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 822,848

Kunz- June 5, 1906 1,400,115 Wessel Dec. 13, 1921 2,119,482 Huffer May 31, 1938 2,363,259 Penton Nov. 21, 1944 2,426,802 Wachsrnann Sept. 2, 1947 2,445,055 Capaul July 13, 1948 oTHER REFERENCES Scientific American, page 155, September 1945. 

